id, in his grand coach-and-four, to Mr. Von Stiltz, in Clifford
Street, who took my measure, and sent me home two of the finest coats
ever seen, a dress-coat and a frock, a velvet waist-coat, a silk ditto,
and three pairs of pantaloons, of the most beautiful make. Brough told
me to get some boots and pumps, and silk stockings for evenings; so that
when the time came for me to go down to Fulham, I appeared as handsome as
any young nobleman, and Gus said that "I looked, by Jingo, like a regular
tip-top swell."

In the meantime the following letter had been sent down to Hodge and
Smithers:--

"RAM ALLEY, CORNHILL, LONDON: _July_ 1822.

"DEAR SIRS,

* * * * *

[This part being on private affairs relative to the cases of Dixon v.
Haggerstony, Snodgrass v. Rubbidge and another, I am not permitted to
extract.]

* * * * *

"Likewise we beg to hand you a few more prospectuses of the
Independent West Diddlesex Fire and Life Insurance Company, of which
we have the honour to be the solicitors in London. We wrote to you
last year, requesting you to accept the Slopperton and Somerset agency
for the same, and have been expecting for some time back that either
shares or assurances should be effected by you.

"The capital of the Company, as you know, is five millions sterling
(say 5,000,000_l_.), and we are in a situation to offer more than the
usual commission to our agents of the legal profession. We shall be
happy to give a premium of 6 per cent. for shares to the amount of
1,000_l_., 6.5 per cent. above a thousand, to be paid immediately upon
the taking of the shares.

"I am, dear Sirs, for self and partners,
Yours most faithfully,
SAMUEL JACKSON."

This letter, as I have said, came into my hands some time afterwards. I
knew nothing of it in the year 1822, when, in my new suit of clothes, I
went down to pass a week at the Rookery, Fulham, residence of John
Brough, Esquire, M.P.

CHAPTER VII

HOW SAMUEL TITMARSH REACHED THE HIGHEST POINT OF PROSPERITY

If I had the pen of a George Robins, I might describe the Rookery
properly: suffice it, however, to say it is a very handsome country
place; with handsome lawns sloping down to the river, handsome
shrubberies and conservatories, fine stables, outhouses, kitchen-gardens,
and everything belonging to a first-rate _rus in urbe_, as the great
auctioneer called it when he hammered it down some ye